Dungeon Master's Guide 5E

·arfar e in a fantasy world is rife \.Vith opportunities

-adventure. A war campaign isn"t generally concerned

• i.be specifics of troop movements, but instead
  _ --es on the heroes whose actions turn the tide of


• e. The characters carry out specific missions:
  ·ure a magical standard that empowers undead
  ·e. gather reinforcements to break a siege, or
  -- ough the enemy's flank to reach a demonic
  -mander. In other situations, the party supports


• larger army by holding a strategic location until
  :orcements arrive, killing enemy scouts before
  can report, or cutting off supply lines. Information
  _ --~ring and diplomatic missions can supplement the
  combat-oriented adventures.


• e War of the Lance in the Dragon lance Chronicles
  -;: -and the War of the Spider Queen in the novel
  of the same name are prominent examples of
  -s in D&D novels.

::XIA

--------------------------------

-~n a sensei disappears mysteriously, her young

em must take her place and hunt down the oni

rizing their village. Accomplished heroes, masters

· ·eir respective martial arts, return home to free their

ge from an evil hobgoblin warlord. The rakshasa

'er of a nearby monastery performs rituals to raise

• led ghosts from their rest.
  -.campaign that draws on elements of Asian martial-


• movies is a perfect match for D&D. Players can
  "" e the appearance of their characters and gear
  ·er they like for the campaign, and spells need only


• -flavor changes so that they better reflect such a


• g. For example, when the characters use spells
  ::;>ecial abilities that teleport them short distances,
  _ actually make high-flying acrobatic leaps. Ability
  to climb don't involve careful searching for holds
  · .e characters bounce up walls or from tree to tree.
  -· ·ors stun their opponents by striking pressure
  -·. F lavorful descriptions of actions in the game
  -cha nge the nuts and bolts of the rules, but they
  ·e all the difference in the feel of a campaign.
  .=..:ni!arly, a class doesn't need new rules to reflect
  ~ ural influence; a new name can do the trick. A
  · -onal Chinese wuxia hero might be a paladin
  -'las a sword called the Oath of Vengeance, while a


• e e samurai might be a paladin with a particular
  --of Devotion (bushido) that includes fealty to a
  -:. daimyo) among its tenets. A ninja is a monk who
  -::"•es the Way of Shadow. Whether called a wujen,
  " ·ai. or a swami, a wizard, sorcerer, or warlock
  · :acter works just fine in a game inspired by medieval
  n cu ltures.

:-xiA WEAPON NAMES

ing players refer to a tetsubo or a katana rather than

,. atclub or a longsword can enhance the flavor of

_tia campaign. The Wuxia Weapon Names table

·""" alter native names for common weapons from

• PJayer's Handbook and identifies their real-world

cultural origins. An alternati>e name changes none of

the weapon's properties as they are described in the

Player 's Handbook.

CROSSING THE STREAMS

The r enowned paladin Murlynd, from the world of

Oerth (as featured in Greyhawk novels and game

products), dresses in the traditional garb of Earth's

Old West and wears a pair of six-shooters strapped

to his waist. The Mace of St. Cuthbert, a holy weapon

belonging to Greyhawk's god of justice, found its way

to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 1985.

Somewhere in the Barrier Peaks of Oerth, the wreckage

of a spacefaring vessel is said to lie, with bizarre alien

lifeforms and strange items of technology on board. And

the famous wizard Elminster of the Forgotten Realms

has been said to make occasional appearances in the

kitchen of Canadian writer Ed Greenwood-where he is

sometimes joined by wizards from the worlds of Oerth

an,d Krynn (homeworld of the Dragon lance saga).

Deep in D&D's roots are elements of science

fiction and science fantasy, and your campaign might

draw on those sources as well. It's okay to send your

characters hurtling through a magic mirror to Lewis

Carroll's Wonderland, put them aboard a ship traveling

between the stars, or set your campaign in a far-future

world where laser blasters and magic missiles exist

side by side. The possibilities are limitless. Chapter

9, "Dungeon Master's Workshop," provides tools for

exploring those possibilities.

WUXIA WEAPON NAMES

Weapon

Battleaxe

Club

Dagger

Dart

Flail

Glaive

Greatclub

Greatsword

Halberd

Handaxe

Javelin

Lance

Longbow

Other Names (Culture)

fu (China); masakari (Japan)

bian (China); tonfa (Japan)

bishou, tamo (China); kozuka, tanto (Japan)

shuriken (Japan)

nunchaku (Japan)

guandao (China); bisento, naginata (Japan)

tetsubo (Japan)

changdao (China); nodachi (Japan)

ji (China); kamayari (Japan)

ono (Japan)

mau (China); uchi-ne (Japan)

umayari (Japan)

daikyu (Japan)

Longsword jian (China); katana (Japan)

Mace chui (China); kanabo (Japan)

Pike mao (China); nagaeyari (Japan)

Quarterstaff gun (China); bo (Japan)

Scimitar

Shortbow

Shortsword

Sickle

Spear

Trident

War pick

liuyedao (China); wakizashi (Japan)

hankyu (Japan)

shuangdao (China)

kama (Japan)

qiang (China); yari (Japan)

cha (China); magariyari (Japan)

fang (China); kuwa (Japan)

CHAPTER 1 I A WORLD OF YOUR OWN

4-I